Barca close in on £25m Chelsea ace

Barcelona are closing in on the signing of Chelsea defender David Luiz after having their transfer ban lifted pending an appeal.

The Catalan giants have made signing Luiz their number one priority this summer, but the deal looked like it might not happen when they were banned from signing new players last month.

However, Barca have now successfully had the ban lifted ahead of an appeal, and work is underway to bring Luiz to the Nou Camp.

The Brazilian centre back had previously stated that he expects to stay at Stamford Bridge, but Jose Mourinho is willing to listen to offers for the player.

It’s thought that Barcelona are ready to pay up to £25million for Luiz, who is seen as the replacement for the departing Carlos Puyol.

Luiz’s agent is expected in Spain in the coming days to open negotiations ahead of the transfer, which could happen before the World Cup.